https://twitter.com/mmitgang/status/1743745389743014081
Dozens marched onto the northbound lanes of I-5 and blocked the Seattle interstate below Capitol Hill for about five hours Saturday afternoon as hundreds or protesters gathered and watched from the Olive Way overpass in the latest major call in the city for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The protest and march began earlier in the day outside the Melrose Starbucks Roastery where demonstrators have continued to target the coffee giant after it surged into the debate over the Israel-Hamas war in a social media tangle with the Starbucks Workers United group working to unionize its employees.
Around 1:30 PM, reports spread that some protesters and a small group of vehicles had moved onto I-5 at the Olive Way onramp and blocked the northbound lanes of the freeway. below Capitol Hill
The Washington State Patrol issued dispersal orders to the group, formed engagement lines, and were in place with crowd dispersal weapons that were not deployed. UPDATE: According to the WSP, the group was not ordered to disperse. “We regret that error as there had not been a dispersal order at the time of the social media posts, but rather an effort to engage with the protestors seeking their voluntary leaving of the freeway,” the WSP said in its brief on the response.
WSP says the group including organizers from activist groups Falastiniyat and Jewish Voice for Peace was in contact and communicating over the situation during the protest as hundreds more continued to rally on Olive Way above. Reports indicate the protest was organized to allow emergency vehicle access and at least one ambulance was reported to have passed through the blockade. Meanwhile, traffic backed up on the freeway as blocked motorists were forced to exit and pass through the city’s streets or take alternate freeways.
An image looking southbound posted by @falastiniyat
After several hours, WSP reported the group had agreed to leave the freeway. The vehicles used to block the interstate were left behind and towed from the scene, according to emergency radio updates. By just after 6 PM, WSP reported I-5 northbound had reopened.
Protests calling for a ceasefire have been a regular weekend occurrence in the city’s core with many starting their marches and gatherings outside the popular Melrose Starbucks venue. Saturday’s efforts were the first major disruption by the groups to the state freeway which has been a frequent target in Seattle protests growing from 2020’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The WSP has shifted strategies from what it is says were unsafe procedures that attempted to block protest groups from entering the freeway to new tactics designed to close areas to traffic until demonstrators can be safely cleared from the roadway.
There were no reported injuries and no arrests.
UPDATE: Here is the SPD report on the incident —
At 1100 hours, demonstrators began gathering at a business at Pike St/Minor Av. Approximately, 300-400 demonstrators gathered along with bike brigade and car brigade. At approximately 1300 hours, demonstrators in vehicles were able to do a coordinated slow-down and then stoppage on I-5 Northbound at Olive Way. The group from the Pike St/Minor then moved to the Olive Way overpass. Approximately, 200-300 demonstrators stayed on the overpass while another 100-150 blocked I-5 Northbound. With the assistance of SPD POET and the LRAD, WSP managed the I-5 Northbound crowd while all other SPD resources monitored the crowd on the overpass. SPD POET assisted WSP in attempting to gain compliance from the crowd. At approximately 1700 hours, it began to rain and hail. A few minutes later the demonstrators decided to leave I-5. The demonstrators left their vehicles on I-5 unattended and WSP had the vehicles towed. At approximately, 1730, the demonstrators and car brigade on the overpass dispersed. WSP was able to reopen I-5 at approximately 1830. There were no arrests or use of force.
https://twitter.com/sameervd/status/1743783257194532944
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a shame about the ambulance that was delayed
That bothered me too. Apparently it was a non-critical situation that would have otherwise been quickly resolved by the protesters.
Multiple cars were abandoned on the highway by people who had to get to where they were going–and now those poor people are on the hook for tow costs and recovery. Can you imagine how urgent something would be to abandon your car in the middle of the freeway? Doctors/hospital appointments, funerals, weddings, and jobs for people who rely on every hour earned and will get fired if they don’t show up on time. Those protestors shouldve been forcibly removed and arrested.
Children are dead and continue to be killed on our dime. The purpose of civil disobedience is to disrupt the status quo. I hope that you understand that someone’s temporary inconvenience is indeed temporary. What was being protested, a demand for a ceasefire and ending an occupation, has more permanent implications.
Also, your statements are factually inaccurate. Twelve vehicles were abandoned on I-5, and they were all part of the protest. Everyone else turned around and get off I-5 at Olive Way.
Thanks! I’ll use this information to write a letter to the Governor and Mayor to ask why we are not using more assertive dispersal methods for this illegal takeover of our city infrastructure.
Hamas shouldn’t be holding Israelis hostages — and “protestors” shouldn’t be holding citizens in our region hostage in our homes by blocking vital infrastructure.
Good luck with that and I suggest you include the same strained hyperbole.
Absolutely. I will sincerely aspire to match the nuance of these protestors’ words and actions.
I agree. It is acceptable to protest but not by blocking city highway traffic! By blocking highway traffic it seems to me the innocent traveler is then forced to participate in someone else’s political agenda which restricts the free right for the innocent traveler to choose. I also wonder why these highway protesters placed themselves in such a dangerous life threatening situation as well as imposed a serious life threatening situation to the innocent highway traveler who may have swerved into a concreate structure in order to avoid killing a highway protestor. In my opinion the police should have quickly arrested all highway protesters and placed them all in jail for not only the protester’s safety but also for the safety of the innocent highway traveler. Then, while in jail, the protesters could be interviewed by qualified social professionals as to the next form of mental health support the protester may require in order to deter potentially harming themselves or others in this way in the future.
Same! I voted for new leadership so that things like this wouldn’t happen. Those protestors are shameful bigots living on the wrong side of history.
The problem is that, for protests on state land (WSDOT), there is no new leadership that might intervene. The Seattle City Council has no jurisdiction or influence.
unclear how blocking a highway in seattle does anything to help anyone in gaza.
The US funds and supplies the bombs that are being used to kill Palestinians. People have been calling politicians and doing sit-ins in their offices, but the United States continues to support the settler-colonial state of Israel at all costs which has resulted in over 11,000 children being killed since October. The purpose of civil disobedience is to disrupt; it is to make people recognize that murder on our dime is not something to ignore.
If you don’t like protestors blocking a highway for several hours, then it appears that you value the freedom of movement. Well, guess what, that is not a right that Palestinians in Gaza have. For decades, Israel has controlled who and what goes in and out of Gaza. In the last two months, many cities, streets, and buildings have been destroyed. If value your independence and autonomy, then you should also fight to ensure others have the same.
In the words of MLK, Jr from this 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he write: “The white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action.'”
… and why would Israel want to control what “goes in/out of Gaza”? Because Israel has enough common sense to know that weapons used to kill innocent lives are being trafficked in/out of Gaza. Duh! Good job Israel! God is on your side. Molly, please use some common sense before you post. Thank you.
So what you’re saying is that you support apartheid and genocide. Got it!
I completely support Israel’s response to the worst terrorist attack since 911. The fact that extremists in the United States supported the actions of Hamas on the day it happened, before Israel had even responded, says a lot about how anti-Semitism has grown in this country and how misguided extremists have become in supporting the acts of terrorists.
You clearly don’t even know the difference between Jews and Israel because you just conflated them. Criticizing Israel for committing genocide against another country has nothing to do with Jews at large or anti-Semitism. This is a fact.
Blindly assuming all Jews agree with the actions of Israel, like you just did, is INCREDIBLY anti-Semitic however.
You should read Ilan Pappe before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.
What a waste of time and resources for everyone.
It took too long to clear too.
Why doesn’t anyone protest to release the hostages which include young children, the elderly and the wonded? There are plenty of testimonies on youtube of releases hostages now and the horrifying conditions they were under while held captive.
Release the hostages!
Are these people defending Hamas? If so, indefensible. Whatever the grievances against Israel, which many, you don’t get to butcher 1200 people. I’m sure these protesters would disagree. Sorry but ick.
Whatever the grievances against Hamas, you don’t get to butcher 23,000 people in Gaza, either.
I agree 1000%. Do you agree that there is no possible justification for Hamas’ butchery of Israeli citizens? Do you support Hamas?
The protesters were not given a dispersal order.
See attachment.
The marches have been taking place at Westlake weekly, not at the Starbucks roastery. Also Washington State Patrol never issued a dispersal order to the protestors.
so I assume this bold action has ended the war and Israel has left Palestine?
Edgy!!!!
So is that a “no” then? Thought so.
Protestors have the right to demonstrate peacefully, but they do NOT have the right to engage in vandalism and block public roadways. They are, basically, selfish people who only care about their leftist political beliefs and could care less about negatively impacting thousands of their fellow citizens.
Since their blocking vehicles were later towed, it should be easy for WSDOT to identify their owners, and then bring criminal charges against them.
The point is to affect a large number of people in a minutely negative way, as a last-resort effort to call attention to the large number of people in Palestine who are being affected by the disgusting and inhumane actions of Israel, and are ignored by the world. I’m sure charges will be brought against protestors, but it’s still their right to protest like that. And if you don’t understand their tactics you should learn more about the Vietnam War, or any other protests against the elite power structures of our foreign policy establishment. Also, literally name one good thing conservatives protested for…let me guess, Jan 6th? All complaints and no solutions from your ilk.
Zach you do not understand protesting at all
Occupying roadways and other public infrastructure has long been a form of nonviolent protest, including the well known and now widely supported Selma to Montgomery marches for votii rights. You’re literally using the same argument as Gov Wallace and the Alabama State Patrol about disrupting traffic, I hope you can sleep with that.
Meanwhile these protesters are calling for the end of an active attempt at genocide of Palestinian people, and bringing larger awareness to the atrocities that we continue to support with weapons and aid to Israel despite wider global outrage and condemnation from just about every other country in the world…
Closing an interstate highway in this manner when it passes through a busy urban environment is a very dangerous undertaking. Unnecessarily dangerous, especially for the innocent motorists who just happen to be traveling on the highway as the protest shutdown takes place. It also negatively impacts emergency vehicles, etc. Noone was hurt this time, but you do that have to look very far to find tragic examples. There are better, safer ways to protest this issue and others. Those engaging in this dangerous protest should have been dispersed in a timely manner or arrested, as they would be in other major cities around the country. It is time for Seattle to push back against this type of behavior and begin the difficult task of reasserting the rule of law in our city.
I agree. And there are non leathal ways to disperse a crowd that is placing themselves and others in a deadly situation such as rubber bullets, tear gas, bear spray, loudly playing a Willie Nelson album, percussion grenades, etc.
Also…..water cannon. This method is used in European cities and is very effective.
No it’s not…
You know what’s unnecessarily dangerous? Isreal bombing Gaza, an area comparable in size and population with Chicago proper, aiming to surpass 10,000 dead children…
Blocking one direction of the interstate on a Saturday afternoon is not some major disruption, it’s something that happens regularly on I-5 from traffic and crashes (largely from the same mostly fossil-fueled vehicles that got stuck on I-5 in a minor inconvenience last Saturday), visiting sports teams and politicians, and when we abandon those most vulnerable and they end up creating hazards like large fires at underpasses… These are things that emergency responders are used to handling and working around, but create an eye opening opportunity for the general public and create national and international headlines that put pressure on the Israeli and US government to put an end to this genocide!
You literally have never encountered a thing that arrest wasn’t the solution.